22 [Jatiuarr, 



boisterous gales from the westward, raising quite a respectable " sea" 

 on the Loch, and preventing anything from flying in exposed places. 

 On several such days, indeed, it was scarcely possible to find a single 

 insect on the move ; though on fine days, of whicb there was a fair 

 proportion, Kannoch fully sustained its reputation for numbers of 

 individuals if not of species of insects. Especially this was the case 

 with the Diptera, at least of the representatives of that Order, with 

 whose company one would gladly dispense. The " midges " and Taha- 

 nidce were the most ferocious I have ever encountered, and made one's 

 life a burden when collecting in sheltered places ; while the abundance 

 and pertinacity of the Muscidae in the Black Wood brought the 

 " plague of flies " of North- West Australia vividly to my recollection. 



Many of the most characteristic species of beetles had evidently 

 been " over " for a long time. Thus, I did not see a single Longicorn 

 in the open, except one Strangalia ^-fasciata brought in by Dr. Mc 

 Galium on August 1st ; there were no Elateridce to be found, except 

 Gryptohypnus riparius and Athbus niger ; practically no Telephoridce, 

 no Ips, and no Cryptocephali w^hatever. The sweeping-net produced 

 nothing better than odd specimens of Malthodes of two or three 

 species, Anilterophagus pallens, Hydrocyplion^ Anthonomus comarl, &c. ; 

 and beating the small birch and alder trees was not more productive, 

 Anthophagus festaceus, Luperus riifipes and flavipes, Coccinella 16- 

 guttata (not rare), Podahrus alpinus, Depordus megacejjhaJtis, and 

 Polydrusus tereticollis, being almost the only species obtained in this 

 way. Dorytomus costirostris came very rarely off aspen, and Dascillus 

 cervinus off the heather, rather commonly. 



There was abundance of fallen timber, logs, and stumps of Scotch 

 fir in the Black Wood and elsewhere, as well as many decayed birch 

 trees on the hill sides and along the glens ; but nearly all of it was 

 in the most weatherbeaten state, with the bark, when any remained, 

 dropping off from age, and it was rarely that a tree could be found in 

 workable condition. The celebrated saw-mill yard at Dall, in par- 

 ticular, looked as if no work had been done there for years, and all 

 that could be found in it on several visits were the three local species 

 of Liodes, which were plentiful in snuff-like fungus on old sawdust 

 and stumps ; Cerylon histeroides a,nd ferriigineum, Ernohlus mollis (very 

 large), OtiorrJiynclms viaiirus, and a few Quedionuchus Icevigatus. This 

 last-mentioned Staphylinid, which, with the exception of Baptoliniis 

 alfernans, was the beetle most regularly found under loose bark, fully 

 lived up to its reputation for activity, but in this respect it was 

 equalled, if not excelled, by Qucdius xanthopus. Of this species I 



